A Book of Condolences has been opened at St Mary’s Cathedral for those wishing to pay their respects following the death of Pope Francis.

The Pope, who led the Catholic Church for twelve years, died on Monday at the age of 88.

He had been suffering from double pneumonia in recent weeks, but his death still came as a shock to many. Just hours before his passing, he had been seen greeting crowds in St Peter’s Square during Easter Sunday celebrations.

Locally, Bishop Ray Browne has led the tributes. He described Pope Francis as “a gentle shepherd” who brought humility and compassion to his role.

“It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of our Holy Father Pope Francis,” Bishop Browne said. “From the moment he chose the name Francis, rooted in humility, he signalled a papacy of building peace, care for the poor, and love for all of God’s creation.”

The bishop also highlighted the Pope’s focus on protecting the planet and caring for the marginalised, calling him “a voice for the voiceless” and “a witness to the Gospel in word and deed.”

A special Mass in memory of Pope Francis was held at St Mary’s Cathedral on Wednesday.

The Pope’s funeral Mass will take place on Saturday at 10.00am in St Peter’s Square. It will be led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, and concelebrated by church leaders from around the world.

Due to the Pope’s passing, the special Mass for the canonisation of Blessed Carlo Acutis, which was due to take place this Sunday has been cancelled.

Mass will still take place at the usual time of 11.30am. A new date for the celebration will be announced in due course.

Blessed Carlo Acutis was due to be officially declared a saint in Rome on Sunda but that has been postponed.

Carlo Acutis had a deep devotion to St Francis of Assisi, and his final resting place is in Assisi, near the tombs of St Francis and St Clare.

Kerry County Council is to host a two-day road safety conference at the INEC Killarney on May 28 and 29.

The ‘Safer Roads’ road safety conference is an inter-agency event focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic-related incidents, and sharing knowledge and best practices for safer road use. It encompasses various strategies and efforts across multiple domains, including road design, engineering, enforcement, forensic collision investigation, technology, education, collision trends, occupational driving, cycling and scooting, e-mobility, active & sustainable travel and on-road events.

In addition to this, AI, Virtual Reality and Driver Simulation will play a significant role at the conference, in improving safety by predicting and preventing accidents, optimizing traffic, and aiding the development of autonomous vehicles.

This ‘Safer Roads’ conference is a non-public event where road safety professionals, speakers and service providers from across Ireland, other EU countries and the UK will attend, including transportation experts, government and local authority officials, roads policing and vehicle inspection agencies, road safety advocates, educators and promoters, collision responders, cycling bodies and community safety networks.

Kerry County Council’s Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh said:
“Road safety has evolved over the years to a much broader scope, in terms of e-mobility, sustainability, technology and engineering for instance. It’s not just about the road or the vehicle anymore, but also about how technology, human behaviour, enforcement, and education intersect to reduce risks and prevent collisions. The ‘Safer Roads’ conference will involve and include every branch of the road safety tree, right across the board, and in doing so, we aim to increase road safety awareness, improve road user behaviour and decrease the collisions and carnage we see on our roads every day,”

The two-day conference also provides an opportunity for exhibitors to attend, and interested state bodies, businesses and service providers are invited to exhibit at the event to showcase their products and services and engage with delegates and officials at the conference.

Further information about the conference and how to register or exhibit can be found here. https://www.kerrycoco.ie/safer-roads-road-safety-conference/